Raisable pool floors for aquatic pools are known in the art. In standard practice, the buoyancy of the raisable pool floors is adjusted by pumping air into a ballasting receptacle, to change the pool floor depth.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,390 of Laks, entitled “Aquatic Raisable Floor Apparatus”, which is incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein, is directed to a pool floor system, which enables raising the pool floor, by compressing air into buoyancy chambers. The pool floor system includes a pool floor platform, several buoyancy chambers, an air compressor, a plurality of exhaust valves, a control panel and a guiding mechanism.
Each buoyancy chamber is connected to the lower side of the platform underneath thereof, with the air compressor, and with a pair of exhaust valves. The control panel is connected to a compressed gas source and with the exhaust valves. A control system regulates the compressed air flow and exhaust valve operation. The platform is similar in size to the floor of the pool. The weight of the platform is such that, when the buoyancy chambers are filled with air, the platform rises toward the water surface. When it is desired to have the platform move towards the bottom of the pool, the control panel opens the exhaust valves, allowing air from the buoyancy chambers to vent out into the atmosphere. The venting of air causes water from the pool to move and occupy, the buoyancy chambers, thereby reducing the buoyancy of the chambers, and lowering the platform to the bottom of the pool.
The guiding mechanism is in the form of a plurality of vertical racks attached to side walls of the pool. The guiding mechanism guides the platform up and down, and keeps the platform in a horizontally leveled position. The guiding mechanism further includes a locking mechanism for locking the platform at a desired height.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,615 to Perrier, entitled “Fail-Safe Safety Swimming Pool Net”, which is incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein, is directed to a buoyant safety bottom, submerged at the bottom of a pool, and ready to float in case a person drowns in the pool. The safety bottom system includes the buoyant safety bottom, a plurality of hydraulic submerging mechanisms, and a detection system. The buoyant safety bottom is made of a rigid non-buoyant material perforated with circular drains. The buoyant safety bottom is encircled with peripheral floats. Each drain of the buoyant safety bottom is encircled by a flotation ring. The entire buoyant safety bottom, including the peripheral floats and the floating rings, is buoyant. The submerging mechanisms are connected with the buoyant safety bottom and with the detection system. The submerging mechanisms include a retaining part.
The submerging mechanisms submerge the buoyant safety bottom and keep it at the bottom of the pool. When the detection system detects a drowning person, it sends a control signal to the submerging mechanisms, for releasing the buoyant safety bottom. The buoyant safety bottom floats to the surface of the water, and rescues the drowning person.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,843 to Belanger, entitled “Pool Floor”, is directed to an adjustable flooring structure for swimming pools. The adjustable flooring structure includes a plurality of modules, a plurality of grill areas and a pump. Each of the modules includes two composite rectangular panels and ballasting polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipes interconnected between the panels. The ballasting pipes of each of the modules interconnect with the ballasting pipes of adjacent modules, to form a continuum of ballasting pipes. The ballasting pipes of one of the corner modules are connected with the pump. A first portion of the grill areas encircle the flooring structure, and a second portion of the grill areas is interconnected between rows of the modules.
The modules are characterized by a low level of negative buoyancy. In this manner, even a small volume ballasting means and a small pump capacity causes the entire module to float or submerge. The grill areas facilitate water circulation when the adjustable flooring structure moves up and down. After installation of the adjustable flooring structure, the adjustable flooring structure floats on top of the water surface. For submerging the floor, one turns on the pump. The pump commences to fill the ballasting pipes with water, to submerge the adjustable flooring structure to the bottom of the pool. If one wishes to adjust the height of the adjustable flooring structure, a plurality of leg assemblies may be connected to each module.
In order to effectively serve for rescuing drowning people and even animals by means of raisable pool floors, the elevation must be automatic, highly reliable, and sufficiently fast to enable the victim to receive effective CPR before too much time elapses to be saved.
None of the prior art devices comprises all of the above characteristics and functions.
There is therefore a need for a method and a system for rapid and controlled elevation of a raisable floor for pools, which comprises a combination of all of the above characteristics and functions.